Celebrity Apprentice, Episode 8: It Slices, It Dices… But Wait, There’s More!

Hydra makes a similar choice, except they’ve been assigned a male talking head named Rick. Marilu has the idea of wheeling Rick in on the cart, and they try it out. However, his weight is too much for her and he hits the deck hard with his sit-down parts. Nope, that’s not going to work! They are glad that accident happened now, and not live on camera. Rick holds his back and jokes that he wants to be on the other team.

Omarosa wants to rehearse Trace, but Baldwin feels Trace is used to performing and he has faith that Trace will do fine. [Editor’s Note: He also had faith that God would intervene in the results of a coin toss!] I have to side with Omarosa on this one.

Don Junior arrives at Empresario to see how they are doing. He thinks they are on the right track. He then visits Team Hydra, where he is impressed how much they believe in the product. He notes that Marilu likes to talk a lot, though.

Apparently, both teams have been assigned a creative consultant, who knows how QVC works. Baldwin asks their guy about payment schedules, and learns about their Easy-Pay system. He’s “grateful to the Lord” that he thought of it.

Meanwhile, at Hydra, Lennox is reveling in his role of director. He’s like a kid in a candy shop, really. In a surprising tidbit about task details that is so rare this season that I must assume they came up thirty seconds short, we learn Hydra has deployed Carol as the set decorator and Piers is in the control room, watching the sales numbers. Piers thinks his task is fun, too. Alas, there’s no reading from Carol’s fun-meter.

The first ones to go on the air are Team Hydra. The Donald and Ivanka are watching the broadcast from an office in Trump Tower. I can only surmise that after his earlier on-site inspections, Don Junior has the afternoon off and went bowling.

Trump likes Marilu’s enthusiasm, but feels she is talking a lot. I think she’s talking rather rapidly. Ivanka feels Marilu is unfocused and changing topics a lot, and Donald now thinks Marilu is talking over the host. She’s even talking over the phone-in viewer, who is trying to explain why she wants to buy one of LadderCarts. It’s a little manic at times, but we can all see how Marilu loves her LadderCart!

It’s Empresario’s turn. Trace is nervous and Omarosa thinks he just might pass out. Tito tells us that maybe a rehearsal would have been a good idea after all. On prompt from Baldwin, the hostess explains the QVC Easy Pay system.

Back in the Tower, Trump likes how the vacuum picks up small nuts and bolts. He seems undecided whether Trace’s low-key presentation is too laid back. Ivanka notes this product is simpler to demonstrate.

I think this one’s close. Both teams did well, but the Trumps were able to identify some relative weaknesses. Well, it all comes down to sales numbers, so let’s get to the Boardroom to see what happened!

With the teams assembled in the Boardroom, both are confident they have won. Trump likes how Marilu got so enthused over a ladder. Piers names Marilu as their star, while Tito names Trace. No surprises there, as both on-camera acts would have generated a lot of sales.

Baldwin says Omarosa did a good job, which makes a relieved Trump happy.

So let’s get to the numbers. Don Junior reports that Empresario sold 716 units for $43,000. Ivanka reports that Hydra sold 703 units for $35,145. Empresario wins!

Trump notes that Hydra sold fewer units at a lower price. Baldwin wins another $20,000 for The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. He’s the first PM to win twice. Baldwin thanks Jesus.

Trump has to fire someone from Hydra. He sends Empresario out and begins probing for the reasons Hydra lost. Trump asks Hydra why they didn’t use Easy Pay, and they all admit they don’t know what it is. Don Junior doesn’t think he’s ever seen a product on QVC that doesn’t have an installment plan.

If Don Junior’s watching QVC that much, father needs to assign him more work. In defense of Marilu, who ever heard of buying a book on a five-pay plan? But Carol says she had never heard of it either – remember, she worked there five years.

Trump asks Piers who should be fired. He names Lennox, who slept. Piers calls him “Sleepy-Boy,” which Trump doesn’t like at all. After last week’s vitriol and venom, “Sleepy-Boy” offends him? Way to stay consistent there, Donald. Back in the suite, Omarosa is sure Piers is going to be fired.

Lennox admits to sleeping on the helicopter ride, but Piers says it was more than that. Lennox insists he was productive when it mattered. He turns to Marilu for backup, and she uses many, many words to say that they could have used him in the earlier stages. Piers again supports Marilu. Trump says Marilu was over-enthusiastic.

Trump asks Lennox who should be fired, and he weakly puts it on Marilu because she’s the PM. Carol’s response is to say that it has to fall on Marilu, but says it in a very supportive way. Marilu thinks the problem may have been price point, but Trump doesn’t buy that. However, he agrees that not mentioning Easy Pay mattered.